Book Review – That Which May Destroy You by Abda Khan @chiselbury @abdakhan5

About the Book

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth…?

Miriam Hassan stands in the defendant’s dock at Birmingham Crown Court charged with the cold-blooded murder of her well-known, rich, charismatic husband Zaf, to which she pleads not guilty. However, nothing is straightforward.

There is conflicting witness testimony. The couple argued on the day in question, and Miriam was overheard threatening him. A witness places her at the scene of the crime. Miriam’s evidence casts doubt on her guilt, but no one can corroborate it.

It soon becomes apparent that both Zaf and the marriage were not as they seemed. Miriam discloses details about the ‘gaslighting’ and emotional abuse she suffered, and the court also discovers that Zaf in fact had a number of enemies. On the other hand, Miriam stands to inherit Zaf’s vast fortune if she walks free.

Through the moving testimony in the courtroom and dramatic flashbacks of the two-year marriage, the reader is taken on a gripping and thought-provoking journey, but when the shocking truth is finally revealed, the reader will be left with a moral question that may be difficult to answer.

Format: Paperback (294 pages) Publisher: Chiselbury
Publication date: 8th March 2025 Genre: Crime

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My Review

That Which May Destroy You (by the way, what a great title) is a blend of taut courtroom drama and chillingly realistic depiction of an abusive relationship. The book alternates between the day-by-day events of Miriam’s trial and flashbacks to episodes in her marriage. The latter are not chronological and it did require some concentration on my part to get events straight in my mind.

Zaf’s treatment of Miriam is a textbook example of coercive control and gaslighting. He does not request, he instructs. He controls her money, her time, even the way she dresses. His control extends to the bedroom where she finds it easier simply to submit. He constantly finds fault with things Miriam does so that she effectively gives up trying to second guess him and just waits to be rebuked. Already estranged from her family, for reasons we will later discover, he cuts her off from contact with former friends. Arrangements are changed or cancelled at short notice, and he often convinces Miriam that she has forgotten things he has told her or instructions he has given. His cold-blooded disregard for her feelings reaches a peak when a tragic event occurs.

What we witness is the gradual erosion of Miriam’s sense of self-worth. She cannot see a way out of her situation. Even when her friend Nina suspects that something is seriously wrong, Miriam cannot bring herself to tell her the truth out of a sense of shame.

Whilst not seeking to excuse any of Zaf’s actions, I think I was always searching for a motivation for his treatment of Miriam other than innate misogyny. Although there was parental pressure on him to marry, I concluded his cruelty to Miriam was just another facet of his ruthlessness in other areas of his life. A successful businessman, he is not averse to climbing over others to gain success or dropping business partners without compunction. He is duplicitous, manipulative and a control freak. He shows himself to be immune – or uncaring – about the emotional distress he causes others. In fact, it was difficult to find any redeeming qualities in him at all. But does that justify murder?

Of course, with a few exceptions, we’re seeing things only from Miriam’s point of view and can we be confident that’s the whole truth? For example, Miriam’s version of events on the day of Zaf’s death at times seems to stretch credibility or at the very least conflict with the testimony of other witnesses. A conundrum for the reader as well as the jury.

That Which May Destroy You is a fast-paced, absorbing story. The author saves a few surprises for the final chapters as well as leaving the reader to ponder that moral question mentioned in the book description.

I received a digital review copy courtesy of the author.

In three words: Intense, thought-provoking, suspenseful

About the Author

Abda Khan is a lawyer turned writer and author of the novels Stained (2016) and Razia (2019), and her poetry collection Losing Battles Winning Wars (2023). She is currently working on her first historical book inspired by her late father’s service in World War II as part of the Punjab Regiment who fought alongside British soldiers in Burma. Her work has also featured in various anthologies and publications. She writes commissioned pieces (short stories, scripts, poetry), delivers creative writing courses, and produces and directs her own creative community projects.

Abda often writes about difficult themes, such as the topic of ‘gaslighting’ in her novel That Which May Destroy You, and is passionate about using fiction as a vehicle to amplify unheard voices and shine a spotlight on challenging social issues.

She was Highly Commended as a finalist in Arts and Culture category of the Nat West Asian Women of Achievement Awards in 2017 and she won British Muslim Woman of the Year in 2019.

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